Liver Damage From Alcohol Could Be Reversed, Says Study

Scientists May Have Found A Way To Reverse The Harmful Effects of Booze

Long Story Short

Science has done it once again: while we can’t cure liver disease, a new discovery could add decades onto the lives of those suffering with the disease.

Long Story

People who’ve damaged their livers through alcohol abuse might be able to live for decades longer than previously expected, thanks to scientists.

A team of researchers at University College San Francisco have developed a way to convert cells that have been damaged by alcohol back into healthy cells.

It’s in early stages now, but in years to come this development could prolong the lives of those with liver disease, and potentially prevent the need for transplants.

The new process targets the gradual scarring of the liver – called liver fibrosis – which causes liver disease.

This happens when certain cells can no longer regenerate fast enough to combat the effects of alcohol – or diseases such as hepatitis C and fatty liver disease (which is caused by obesity).

If you're suffering with the condition, it causes patches to form on your liver, which eventually leads to failure. The liver will still adapt, but once its functionality drops to below 20 per cent, patients can be given a prognosis of as little as two years.

The liver – which has the reputation of being the body’s most forgiving organ – is naturally regenerative, and can deal well with new cells.

These cells don’t just function in the liver tissue, but divide and expand like normal, healthy cells, which leads to new patches of liver tissue. The researchers have discovered how to turn these patches into healthy cells – which can prolong its ability to function.

But how do they do it? With a virus. The scientists have identified an adeno-associated virus, which can infect the patches. Filling the viruses with a fate-changing cocktail, they converted the damaged patches into functional liver cells.

The study's senior author, Dr Holger Willenbring, said while the discovery might not offer a cure, it still has the potential to prolong lives.

"A liver transplant is still the best cure. This is more of a patch,” he said.

“But if it can boost liver function by just a couple per cent, that can hopefully keep patients' liver function over that critical threshold, and that could translate to decades more of life.”